“There was a dozen of papers I could cite at the end of one sentence in the introduction of the 
manuscript I am writing. To choose a few, I have googled the authors’ names and cited those who came up with the webpages.”
This is a statement I’ve heard in a real conversation between fellow scientists at a conference.
And even if this seems to you as an extreme or unusual way of citing papers, the reality is that you are more likely to be “found” if you have an online presence!
So what is your online presence as of today? What do you get when you google your name?
If this question makes you sigh – it’s ok, because today I would like to share with you my favourite tips and tricks on how to raise your profile using social media!!
Last week I celebrated 1 year since the birth of my blog on Peaceful Productivity for Creative Types. These are the 11 steps I took to get where I am now: having a popular blog and a large community of people who receive my weekly Productivity Insights ezine. I have launched a productivity mentoring program and have been asked to give workshops and seminars on this topic, as a direct result of having my blog.
I have also raised my profile as a research scientist.
Here are my favourite tips of raising your profile with social media:
1. Get clear about the image you want to create online. Choose one topic, be that the area of your scientific expertise, your passion for photography, or your parenting approach and focus on it. The other areas will be covered along the way.
2. Start dreaming big about the value you can bring to this world and what
kind of expertise you can deliver. Write down your limiting believes such as “I don’t have time for twitter and facebook or writing blog articles”, “I don’t have enough expertise”, “People won’t like it” and then turn them around! Post the list of empowering statements you came up with somewhere you can see them and look at them often 🙂
3. Get clear about people you want to reach and about your message. The truth is not everyone will like what you got to say or the style you deliver your message. Let those people go. There are a lot of people out there who want and need to hear what you’ve got to say! 🙂
4. Start your own blog! This is the best way to deliver your message, be heard, communicate and make sure your website is updated regularly. With the iWeb it is simple and fun – as one of my clients report. I personally use wordpress.com and love it.
5. Instead of your usual complaining or blaming about the things happening to you in your life use your attention to think of blog article topics, titles and content. Write them down into a “hook book” as you move along your busy day.
6. Create a personal profile on Linked-In, Twitter & Facebook and post the updates. These are massive platforms growing by millions of users each year. You want to be where your people like to hang out!
And if you are afraid that these social media will eat up your precious time, then do them with a timer. Set a timer for 30 min and do them all, read the wall, write comments and updates. When the timer goes off, finish this activity and move to other tasks you planned for the day.
7. Comment on other people’s blogs as well as write guest blog posts to drive traffic to your website. Your guest blog posts do not need to be in the same area as your own blog. If your blog focuses on your parenting approach you can write a guest post for a popular photography blog if it is your passion including a link to your own blog. This will attract attention of parents who like photography and drive them to your blog 🙂
8. Use video to communicate your message to your people. This is the next best thing to meeting you personally. Recording a video can be as simple as using your laptop video camera. And you can upload it onto youtube within minutes and be seen all over the world.
My first video series attracted comments from Australia, United States and United Kingdom within hours of putting it up on my blog.
9. Write a report or create a poster to put it up on your website to offer to your people in exchange for their e-mail address. Use it to start building your own community – to gather people to whom you can then communicate directly via e-mail.
10. Communicate with your community on a regular basis using a newsletter. Give them even more value writing special topic articles for them and providing them with resources. Then, when you publish a book or an e-book they will be the first to hear about it! 🙂
Following the above steps you will become better at what you are CURRENTLY doing just by practicing communication to others. You will also FEEL better about what you are doing and FEEL the difference you are making because of the feedback you will be receiving.
The above steps sound simple but often they are not easy. This is because of the overwhelm you might be feeling just from reading it. It might be the fear of judgement that is stopping you. Or it might be the ol’ good procrastination habit that we are all familiar with.
Or maybe you have now tried some of the above steps and got stuck at some point unsure what to do next or how to overcome certain difficulties.
This is why I am offering my tip number 11.
11. Get support on this path. Join me for 9 weeks on my “Raise Your Profile Using Social Media” Program and Blueprint starting on the 17th of October 2011. I take you through all of the above steps based on my own knowledge and experience.
By the end of the program, the 16th of December 2011, you will have your own website and blog up and running full of content that people NEED and want; you will have your own community that values your opinion and the resources your provide. Join me today.
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Its nice and well wtriten article. your tips can be useful to increase online productivity. Thanks for sharing your informative idea.